


Loneliness

by aryablack17



Category: AFC Ajax - Fandom, AfcAjax, Ajax - Fandom
Genre: AFC Ajax, Dolberg, Eredivisie, F/M, Kasper Dolberg - Freeform, Kristensen, Loneliness, Netherlands, Rasmus Kristensen - Freeform, ajax - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-16 05:02:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18087944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aryablack17/pseuds/aryablack17
Summary: Kasper Dolberg thought his injury was the worst thing that had ever happened to him, but it turned to be the last farewell to his loneliness.





	Loneliness

**Author's Note:**

> Let's pretend he's straight and not dating Rasmus Kristensen at all.

_23rd July 2018._

_That’s when everything changed._

~

Kasper was sitting in one of the stretchers of _De Toekomst_. The calendar marked the 26th of July. He stared at it. Time, it went by so slowly, it almost hurted.

Just as much as his abdominal muscles.

The medical staff was checking on him and he kept silence. Was there anything he could say? Nah.

Ajax had won the first leg of the knockout versus Sturm Graz. He had been there, in the stands, watching his teammates doing their job -also his.

But he was injured.

The medical staff had told him he was ruled out for at least six weeks, which meant he’d lose the start of the Eredivisie, the rest of the UCL’s knockout rounds and whatever match Ajax had appointed at least until… september.

Some of the medical staff stretched his hand or touched his back to support him, but he simply just wasn’t in the mood. He smiled just a little bit -though he wasn’t happy at all.

Finally one of the medics gave him an schedule. Even though he couldn’t contribute to the team, he still had to train every single day.

He heard someone ask for his schedules, but that didn’t even matter, because he was going to spend six weeks alone.

Alone.

Well, he wouldn’t always be completely alone, but he would only train with his teammates twice a week.

That meant he’d be training alongside the team’s personal trainer for three or four days a week.

Which also meant boredom.

And most of all loneliness.

He didn’t want to be alone. He didn’t. HE DIDN’T.

~

And there he was. One day later. Sitting alone in the breakfast room of _De Toekomst_ staring at his already freaking cold coffee. He had been there for almost an hour already. He could hear voices coming from the locker room. His teammates had already finished their training that day, but he was still there, waiting for the hour to arrive so he could go to the pitch and run for one or two hours straight.

Damn, he missed Rasmus and Lasse a lot.

Sure he had been with them the last few days, but he was so used to seeing them everyday that the thought of not being with them scared the shit out of him.

But there he was.

All alone, now staring at the damn calendar and the little annoying clock above it. He had never noticed there was a clock over there, in the wall. Actually, he was so bored that he even noticed the hour in the clock was a bit late by two minutes more or less. He sipped the mug. It was as cold as a regular winter day in Copenhagen. It felt awful.

He stood up and went straight to the pitch, though it was a bit early.

The pitch wasn’t as cold as his coffee, in fact it was hot. It was sunny, too. Which was kinda normal considering it was still July and it wasn’t Copenhagen.

He missed those days in Copenhagen.

He certainly missed mom, dad, Kristina and Freja. How he wanted them to be there.

He had talked to them the past few nights, but it felt kind cold. He wanted them to be there with him, comforting him. And he wanted to show Amsterdam to Kristina. And have fun with this little Freja and maybe buy her some new clothes. He loved to go shopping with her. She had a good sense of fashion.

He exhaled.

Wasn’t it super sunny? He just saw a silhouette nearing him.

Which turned to be the team’s personal trainer.

They exchanged a few words, most of them friendly and common, and they started running. He noticed someone else had entered the pitch, but went to the nearest step and sat there. He didn’t know who they were, because of the sun, so he kept running alongside the trainer, Piet.

-You’re doing fine -praised Piet. Kasper faked a smile-. Have you been training on your own?

-Nope.

-Well -Piet stopped and took a rest, so did Kasper-. Maybe you won’t be out for that long. I will tell Erik about it. He will have his danish dynamite way earlier!

Kasper was still inhaling when Piet stood up again. He was looking at the steps.

-Wasn’t expecting to have any audience today. Did you ask her to come, kiddo?

Kasper was now intrigued. “Her”?

He stared at the steps, hand in his front so that the silhouette could turn into a “she”. He recognized her; she was the photographer of the team.

What was her name again?

-I didn’t. Can’t even remember her name. My bad.

Piet laughed loudly.

-That’s Eyrian! She’s been here with us for the same time as you’ve been. Never exchanged a word with her or what? She’s the one that takes all of your Instagram pictures.

Actually, had Kasper ever even seen her before that morning?

-Weird thing she isn’t taking pictures, huh? Maybe she wanted to see you. Maybe she fancies you!

Kasper was now a bit uncomfortable, so he said nothing but “nah”. As usual.

He stared at her once more. She looked kinda small and her sight was on the boy.

-Well, she surely doesn’t fancy me! I’m twice her age, for fuck’s sake. Kiddo, you’ve done great today, I’m gonna let you go to the massage room a bit earlier today. But don’t get used to it! Training will get harder starting from tomorrow.

-Thank you, Piet -Kasper responded and left for the massage room, touching his hair and his abdominal muscles. The girl, who had probably been there staring at them for the last 45 minutes also left, but she went straight to the parking.

It was a bit weird, but Kasper didn’t think about her or the strange incident for the rest of the day.

~

Again at the breakfast room, but this time with Rasmus and Lasse. They were having fun while he was taking a coffee, this time super hot. He also took a muffin that morning. Though he still had to train alone with Piet, he was able to see his friends.

Lasse showed Rasmus a drawing his older son had done for him. A young boy and an older man with a great beard. It said _Den bedste far i verden_. It was super sweet. Kasper smiled at it.

-So, how was your training with Piet? -Rasmus wanted to know.

-Boring -the two men looked at him and after fifteen seconds of awkward silence Kasper continued-, but someone went to see my training.

Rasmus was now intrigued.

-Who? Did you know them?

-It was… Eyrian, I think. The photographer.

-Sure, we know her -said Lasse-. Wait, you didn’t know her? She goes to every training session. She takes pictures, you know, with her camera.

-Yeah, mate, half of my Instagram pictures have been taken by her.

He denied with his head.

-No… she wasn’t taking any camera with her. She just sat there, in the steps, for 45 minutes straight. And it was bloody sunny! She’s mental.

The two men laughed.

-Nah, mate, she probably didn’t want you to be alone, or she was taking pictures with her mobile phone. It’s not that deep, bro.

-Whatever.

Actually, she was there, on the pitch, once again. She said nothing but waved hello at some of the players. This time she had her really big camera with her and was taking pictures the whole time. Not that he had stared at her. Hell no. He was thinking about his injury. Had he really done that great yesterday?

-Hi, Kasper -saluted Piet.

And they started training.

It was certainly harder than he expected. Piet didn’t even say anything about him doing great, which felt to him like he had done really bad. He wasn’t in the mood of smiling, once again.

His teammates left and he was still there. The two men alone, running and training was all that left on the pitch. The photographer had left, too.

He felt really alone this time.

Erik ten Hag had looked at him several times that morning, which made him feel a bit anxious and uncomfortable. But hey, it was just his second day.

-Well done, boy -said Piet-. Oh, yeah, I had totally forgotten. I’ll be out tomorrow, so you’ll have to train on your own. I know you’ll do great.

~

Alone.

Again.

He arrived way too early at _De Toekomst_. Actually, there was no one at sight.

He wanted to be exhausted. He wanted to feel anything different to boredom or loneliness.

He felt really, really, really lonely.

He was the shiest guy on the team, for sure. He felt uncomfortable while in a big group of people, but he didn’t enjoy being alone either.

A paradox, right?

A 21 year old kid, all alone in Amsterdam. Living his dream?

He was alone most of the time. He spent a lot of time with Rasmus, sure, he’s his best friend, his brother, but when he wasn’t around Kasper was completely alone.

He used to have Cecilie with him, but he had been lonely, romantically, ever since they splitted up. He doesn’t actually miss her, but she made him feel like he wasn’t _that_ lonely.

It was a rainy and foggy day in Amsterdam. He could see barely nothing. But there he was, on the training field, warming up, when a small person appeared right in front of him, with an umbrella.

She stared at him and smiled, notoriously.

-Hi there, Kasper -she said, and went straight to the steps, without waiting for an answer, which Kasper wouldn’t have said, either.

Now he was intrigued.

What was with that girl? Didn’t she have a living outside Ajax?

And, if by any casual, she knew his schedule, there was no way she would’ve known that he’d arrive three hours earlier. For fuck’s sake, it was half past 6 in the morning. What the hell was she doing there?

She didn’t have her camera either that day. Just a black umbrella. Kasper said nothing, the rain was getting heavier, so he started running and training.

He thought about Rasmus. He’d laugh out loud at the situation. Kasper really thought about it. Why on Earth would anyone be risking their own health? Because of him? That sounded mad.

Kasper _really_ wanted to know what was she doing there, but he just kept running. He was starting to feel weak. And weaker. He could see barely anything, but he kept running harder, and harder, and hard…

-Enough. Stop! -he heard. He stopped.

The girl was there once again, right behind him. She wasn’t wearing her umbrella anymore. Actually, it was like fifteen meters behind her.

-What do you want exactly, to break yourself again when there’s absolutely no one around to help you if you faint? -she asked angrily, shouting at him. He was now very uncomfortable-. Just stop, okay?

How did she dare talking to him like that? Who she thought she was?

-That’s exactly what I wanted -he responded, sarcastically. The girl probably didn’t hear what he said.

-What if I wasn’t here? You were about to faint -she got closer, in a very sweet and worried way.

-I wasn’t about to faint.

-Take a look around. Where do you think you are?

He wasn’t on the training pitch anymore. In fact, he was on the way out of the sport complex; the street was only two or three meters away.

-What?

-Had you not noticed where were you? -The girl was worried.

-No, I just kept running.

Kasper stared at her. She looked his age -probably was-, but she was smaller than him, blonde and with big blue eyes. They were quite close. She was getting closer, and closer and even closer.

-Let’s go back to the breakfast room, shall we?

Kasper had taken a shower and was once again in the breakfast room. The photographer girl, named Eyrian, was preparing a hot cocoa for the two of them. She had probably taken a hot shower too, or at least that’s what Kasper wanted to think.

She came back with the two mugs a moment later.

-Hope you enjoy really hot cocoas in mid-summer. I certainly do.

Kasper didn’t answer. He didn’t quite care about her “saving his life”, he didn’t know her and was uncomfortable.

She sipped her mug. One of her hands was clearly bleeding.

-You okay? -he asked.

-I wasn’t the one about to faint on a rainy day after being ruled out for six weeks, so yeah, I’m okay.

-I mean, your hand is bleeding.

She stared at her hand.

-Just an old wound, don’t you worry about it.

The sun was already up when the both of them finished their mugs of cocoa.

He felt fine and was about to stand up and get back to the training field, but he looked at her once again. She reminded him of Rasmus. She tried to save him, right? And also made him a really tasty mug of cocoa. Yet he didn’t trust her.

-So you’re leaving to the training field again, aren’t you? You certainly are stubborn.

She didn’t seem angry at all, just worried and… friendly.

-I am.

She nodded.

-I was wondering if… maybe you… -silence- wanted to… train… with me? I kinda feel really bored when I’m lonely.

-Doesn’t actually sound like a good idea after what happened earlier, but I’m in!

They didn’t exchange any words while training. She seemed as shy as him and wasn’t quite sporty; while he had run over three kilometers, she had only run one and a half. She checked her hand continuously. It kept bleeding.

-Now it’s you the one who should stop before getting hurt.

-Huh?

He took her right hand and looked at it very closely.

-This wound is really recent. How did you get hurt?

-I think it was the umbrella. But it doesn’t hurt that much, really, it’s just the blood. Don’t worry about it -she faked a smile.

-Let’s do something. Let’s get together to the medical staff. They’ll check if I’m fine and can get myself exhausted from running and also your wounded hand. Deal?

-You’re really stubborn, but deal.

~

As a consequence, she wore a plaster on the next day.

She couldn’t actually take the camera with her, since it was her right arm who was injured. Still, Kasper said nothing, he sat in front of Lasse, with Rasmus by his side.

-Woah there, what on Earth happened to her arm? -Lasse pointed at the girl.

-She got hurt because of an umbrella.

-Weird -said Rasmus, who instantly changed the topic. Now he was talking about a new movie. Lasse said he’d go with his kids next weekend. Kasper wasn’t quite interested in going to the cinema; not since he was famous.

But Rasmus enjoyed watching films a lot. Even more than fashion, and damn, he enjoyed fashion way too much.

And so did he.

They went to the training pitch speaking in Danish, but as they came out Kostas Lamprou joined the group. They were all good friends with the greek guy. Lasse really enjoyed having fun with the greek. They had a great long beard, too.

Actually, they were discussing about the health of their beards. Rasmus and him were smooth-chinned, so they had nothing to talk about with them. Instead, Rasmus questioned the younger guy about the weird incidents.

-So, did she really got wounded by an umbrella?

-You mean Eyrian?

-No, I meant the Virgin Mary. Of course I mean Eyrian!

Kasper didn’t want to talk about it. He felt quite ashamed of almost fainting in the street. He decided to tell his friend half of the story.

-She was staring at me while I was training, wearing her umbrella, and decided to join me, but she got hurt and her hand was bleeding. We went to the medical staff, but I left before they put a plaster on her.

-She seems to be quite clumsy, right? Just like you, mate.

Kasper laughed. The boy was tickling his armpits.

-Don’t do that! -he kept laughing out loud.

-Come here, Kalle, let me tickle your armpits! Come back here!

Kasper didn’t.

-Maybe we should talk to her, don’t you think? -said Rasmus.

-I don’t know. I have nothing to tell her.

-Just ask her how she’s doing.

Kasper seemed to be really uncomfortable. He didn’t want to exchange any word with her.

-Okay, I’ll do it.

The boy exhaled. Rasmus was really the stubborn one, not him.

_And then there was Rasmus, waving hello to the girl, who quickly stopped taking photos -or that’s what Kasper thought- and saluted him._

_-Hi there, Rasmus, how are you doing?_

_-Fine -he responded-, what about your arm?_

_-It’s fine! I won’t be using this plaster tomorrow. It’s kinda uncomfortable, you know?_

_-I guess. See, Eyrian, Kasper can really be a stubborn person -Eyrian looked confused-, but believe me, he is really worried about you...r arm._

_Eyrian nodded, in misconfusion._

_Rasmus didn’t actually know what else he could say. She didn’t feel much convinced about his made-up forgiveness, so he started coughing while he was thinking about his next move._

_He got it!_

_-He was wondering if you would like to join us on friday. We’re going to the cinema to watch a film and maybe have some drinks later._

_-I don’t actually drink -she said-, but I like the plan. Tell him I’m in._

~

Kasper was on Rasmus’ car.

It was a rainy night -it had been super rainy lately- and it was also cold.

They were listening some Post Malone songs and Rasmus was singing along.

-You really have an awful voice -said Kasper, laughing.

-Well, try and sing, you moron!

Kasper laughed, once again, but he didn’t sing. Though he knew the lyrics to _Better Now_ he was shy enough to keep his mouth shut.

Rasmus then stopped the car and parked it. Kasper was a bit confused. Weren’t they on their way to the cinema?

-Mate, gotta do something, wait here.

And the boy left the car, without an umbrella. Kasper then decided to check his _WhatsApp_. Mom wished him a nice weekend and so did him. He smiled to the phone. He missed his family a lot.

Suddenly one of the back doors opened and he blocked his phone.

It wasn’t Rasmus.

-Hi there, Kasper -a small girl in a black hoodie said.

-Wha-t?

Rasmus entered the car once again, completely wet because of the rain. The girl behind them sneezed. Both of them said “bless you”, but Kasper looked at his friend in a very unfriendly way.

-What the fuck? -he asked quietly.

-I told her you invited her, so be nice to her. She’s always been nice to us.

-What the fuck? -he repeated.

-So, what movie are we watching tonight? -the girl asked. She was quite close to Kasper, he felt his body shivering.

Rasmus stared at Kasper and so did the girl.

-Why are you both staring at me?

-Well -Rasmus started saying-, this was your idea, so it’s your choice.

He kept silence and the girl spoke.

-Okay, this might be a really bad idea, but there’s a One Direction movie and I was wondering if any of you liked them. I heard it isn’t a bad movie at all.

-I love One Direction! -said Rasmus- and so does Kasper.

-I… don’t like them.

-You have all of their songs in your mobile phone -pointed Rasmus.

-I had. Now I just have ten or twelve songs.

So they decided to watch that One Direction movie Eyrian was so excited about.

Rasmus bought a large popcorn pot after they had bought the tickets.

They entered the large room, which happened to be empty. Rasmus sat first, Kasper sat by his side, in the middle, and the girl sat right besides the corridor. Kasper felt quite uncomfortable. What if he had to go to the restroom in the middle of the movie?

There were other twelve people in the room, apart from them, all of them happy teenagers; but not as happy as Rasmus, who was really excited.

-Man, I love Harry Styles -he whispered.

-Me too -admitted Kasper.

-Ja! I knew it.

The girl, Eyrian, said nothing. Kasper noticed she was a bit uncomfortable. Actually, he felt kinda sad and curious, once again. If Rasmus had not been there he would have ask her why she went to see his training sessions. She looked at him and he quickly stared at the screen.

After a long half an hour of the movie, which was really boring, Rasmus started to move.

-What’s up, man?

-Mate, I really have to pee.

Kasper almost laughed out loud. He just told the boy “go to the restroom, you idiot” and the boy stood up. He walked quickly and some of his popcorns fell to the floor.

-Shit! -he shouted. Eyrian laughed and saw him leave.

Kasper stared at her and laughed too, after one minute.

-What? -she smiled confused at him.

-You’ve got popcorn on your hair.

She started shaking her whole body and Kasper laughed once again. His cheeks turned red quickly.

-Are you enjoying the movie? -Kasper wanted to know.

-To be quite honest, I’ve fell asleep seven times. Where the fuck are they, in Kuala Lumpur?

Kasper laughed once again, this time the whole room asked him to shut up. Eyrian laughed too.

-You know what? We should leave and go the nearest pub -she offered-. Maybe they’ll have some hot cocoas.

-Sounds like a good idea. Let’s go to the hall and wait for Rasmus in there.

They headed to the hall and waited for three or four minutes for Rasmus to appear.

-Is the movie already over? -Rasmus wanted to know-. Man, did Harry and Louis finally marry?

-I don’t think so -Kasper responded.

-Kasper and I weren’t quite enjoying the movie, so we thought we could go already to some pub, maybe?

So they went to the nearest pub, which was also quite empty. They sat on a table and started watching some Premier League game. Kasper and Rasmus started discussing about some of the plays. It was weird. They usually did that in Danish, but since the girl was there they had to speak in English.

-Are you dutch? -Rasmus asked her.

-Actually I was born in Wales, but I’ve lived in The Netherlands for seventeen years, so I’d say I’m dutch, yes.

They kept discussing about their lives and Kasper didn’t feel that uncomfortable anymore. He had his best friend with him, what could possibly go wrong?

Well, alcohol happened.

After two or three beers Rasmus stood up and started dancing and singing. The whole pub -two or three elder couples- laughed and sang with him too, though he was singing a very famous and old danish song.

-Rasmus is quite crazy, isn’t him? -Eyrian seemed to be happy. She was drinking a peach juice.

-He is quite extroverted.

-You seem to be very different, am I right? You are really shy.

Eyrian didn’t speak much. Actually, she looked shy too, but when she did speak she was really honest and friendly.

-We complement each other.

-Never doubted it -she smiled at him.

She looked nothing like him or Rasmus, though he had thought she looked like Rasmus one of the first times they talked.

-So, I was wondering, why did you go to see my training sessions though you weren’t taking any pictures?

-Oh, I thought you’d feel less lonelier if you had someone known near you.

Kasper’s cheeks turned into red.

He felt quite bad. He had been ignoring her for the last two years, and to her, he was someone she knew. How… how on Earth would anyone, apart from Rasmus and Lasse, notice he was _so_ lonely.

They headed to Rasmus’ car. Kasper helped him to get there, while Eyrian walked right behind them, saying nothing.

The sober guy opened the car, but wasn’t going to let Rasmus drive them home. And Kasper wasn’t really good at driving either. He stared at the girl once Rasmus was on the backseat, still singing.

-Want me to drive you home? -she asked.

-Would you?

-I’m the greatest driver in Amsterdam, and see -she showed him her already recovered wound-. I’m fine! Trust me, I’ll do it.

She was driving, silently. Kasper wanted to turn on the radio, but Rasmus seemed to be sleeping. Well, he was snoring.

-What kind of music does Rasmus listen to? -the girl asked.

-Rap, mostly.

-One Direction surely isn’t rap -she protested.

Kasper smiled.

-You really don’t smile much, do ya?

-As you’ve may already noticed, no. I’d say I’m kinda shy.

-Sure you are. But hey! I wasn’t complaining. Actually I’m quite shy too.

-You don’t seem to be shy at all.

She smirked.

-We had never exchanged a single word before tuesday, had we? -Kasper responded shaking his head-. Now you know why.

She kept driving until they reached Rasmus’ apartment. Kasper took the boy inside his house and made sure he was okay before entering the car again. The girl was checking her mobile phone.

-How’s Rasmus doing? -she wanted to know.

-He’s fine, just tired. I don’t think he’s even drunk anymore.

-Good to know. Did you tell him I’m gonna keep his car until tomorrow?

-No, I didn’t. I’m gonna send him a text message.

-Kay.

They kept driving until they reached Kasper’s apartment, not really far from Rasmus’ one, though.

-Kasper -she started- you should totally give me your phone number.

The boy kept silence for a moment.

-Are you flirting with me? -he asked. This time, his cheeks weren’t red at all.

-You wish, blond boy. I just want to ask someone where’s exactly Rasmus’ apartment so that I can park his car tomorrow morning. And I think Rasmus will be sleeping many, many hours, so you’re the one that’s left.

Kasper nodded and gave him his number.

-I’ll message you tomorrow -she said-. See ya!

-See you.

~

He woke up at 9:00 in the morning.

His body was still extremely tired, yet his injury didn’t hurt that much.

He stared at the mirror for a second, topless.

He had a very good body, yet he didn’t like it. It made him feel ashamed. He felt weak.

So he closed his eyes for a moment.

His phone was ringing.

Secretly he wanted to have a text message from some small, blonde girl on his phone, but actually it was from a boy. Also blond haired.

“Mate, that girl is a gift from heaven”

“Can you fucking believe she washed my car and bought me a fucking One Direction CD?”

“And she also left a note for you, I think, it says: “actually, I was”, and a phone number -probably hers. Do you have any idea why she did that?”

And Kasper answered:

“No idea, mate”

And immediately after he had said that he added that phone number to his agenda.

“Hi” -he said to her.

“Hi there, Kasper”

~

They spent a lot of time talking during those days.

And their respective nights.

And Kasper didn’t feel _that_ alone anymore.

That day he had to train alongside Piet but when he saw Eyrian walk through the field a smile appeared in his face.

-Are you sure you didn’t ask her to come, kid?

-I’m not really sure anymore.

Once the training session, which happened to be quite soft, had ended, he headed to the steps. He stared at the girl.

-Hi there, Kasper.

-Hi, how are you doing?

-I’m fine, really. How about you?

-My abdominal muscles don’t hurt me as much as they did last week, that’s for sure.

She smiled, in a very kind way.

-I was wondering if you, maybe, would like to be my co-pilot on sunday? I must do a quick drive to Rotterdam and we could see the shooting stars rain.

-That sounds like a date -he protested.

-Actually, it’s a road trip. And it includes a shooting stars rain. Are you even complaining?

-Eh, I’m not sure I was complaining.

-So you want to date me -she said, arching her eyebrows.

-I don’t think I’ve said that.

-You haven’t said otherwise, either.

-You really are an expert in getting others say what you want them to say, aren’t you?

-I wouldn’t say I’m an expert in anything, but actually I’m quite good at it -she smirked-. So, are you in or out?

-I’m in.

-Good. Take care, blond boy.

~

_12th August 2018._

The day finally arrived.

Kasper was on her car -who wasn’t such a luxury, in his honest opinion-, but it was fine and comfy. The girl kept silence before turning on the radio. Justin Bieber’s _Baby_ was playing.

-You really look like a desperate teenager -he said. She laughed.

-So, you’re telling me you don’t like Justin Bieber.

-Never said so. I went to his concert with Rasmus and Lasse earlier this year.

-So did I!

They had a laugh.

-So, why are you going to Rotterdam? -the boy wanted to know. It was a long trip.

-I’ve got some stuff to do. I go there every six months.

To Kasper, that sounded like she had to go to the medic, even the hospital, but she seemed to be quite healthy, even though she almost broke her hand last week. Well, maybe he was exaggerating.

The road trip was going incredibly fine, and the time was passing by so quickly. They surely were having a lot of fun.

-Where do you wanna eat? -she asked.

-I don’t know.

-I was thinking about a greasy hamburger -she looked at him-. Are you in?

-Thought you were a vegetarian.

-Tofu exists, ya know.

-I’m not really sure it’s a greasy ingredient.

-You still haven’t answered my questions.

His guts roared.

-I’ll take that as a yes.

She parked the car. Rotterdam was just 10 kilometers away and they were in a cafeteria that looked quite overcrowded. Tho Kasper was uncomfortable, he felt protected and safe. He sat in front of her.

-I used to live in Rotterdam -she confessed-. But I hate Feyenoord, that’s why I moved to Amsterdam -she confessed, quietly.

-Really?

-Nah, that was not the reason, but the rest is true. What about you? You’ve never told me about your origins.

-There’s not much to talk about-he protested. Did he really want to talk about his family with someone he barely knew?-. I’ve got mom, dad and my two sisters.

He showed her a picture of his family.

-They all live in Copenhagen, but Kristina and Freja spend a lot of time in Amsterdam with me. Mom and dad work almost all the time, so I see them only in summer and winter or some random weekends.

-They’re really beautiful -said the girl zooming Kristina and Freja-. She’s older than you, right? You look super young in this photo.

-It was taken two months ago.

She murmured something similar to “no way” and kept watching the picture.

-Your family looks super great.

-They are. I truly miss them. That’s why I feel so alone when I’m in Amsterdam and that’s also why I spend so much time with Rasmus.

-Rasmus really is like a brother to you, right?

-He is, but it feels different. He’s more like a cousin. I know it sounds weird, but I met him just a year ago. I don’t feel like I treat him the same as I treat Kristina or Freja.

She bit her vegetarian hamburger.

-That makes sense!

Once they had finished their lunch, at noon, they kept heading to Rotterdam and then, when they found a free parking lot, they left the car.

-So, Kasper -she was kinda nervous, Kasper noticed-. The place I must go isn’t quite far from here, but it’s such a boring place. Maybe you could go shopping or take an ice cream if you want to. See you here in one hour?

-Are you sure? -she didn’t look convinced at all. She smiled, though.

-Completely!

She started walking, but only half a second later Kasper reacted.

-Eyrian! -the girl turned to see him. He got closer-. I don’t want to be alone.

That surely sounded a lot better in his head. But what’s said remains said.

-Now I gotta ask you if you’re sure -she said, mysteriously.

-Of course I’m sure. Whatever it is, I’m in.

She nodded.

They walked silently and she moved quickly, not yet running. He knew people were looking at him, so he put a cap on and a hoodie, though it was august and Rotterdam was the hottest city in The Netherlands.

He wanted to tell her he was on her side, but he didn’t. He was quite intrigued.

She stopped after five long minutes walking and entered a very beautiful garden. Kasper wanted to say it was a beautiful place, but it felt creepy, since it was completely silent. He soon discovered why.

There were graves all over the place.

Actually, they were on a cemetery.

He wanted to ask her why were they on a cemetery, but he remained silence. She kept walking. It felt like they had already walked a whole kilometer when the girl stopped.

She was… buying flowers?

She was very kind with the seller, though she was clearly sad.

Kasper didn’t know if she had forgotten about him, because she said nothing, kept walking and didn’t look back either.

She sat in front of a grave.

“Robert Jenkins and Elizabeth Jenkins rest here”.

There was also a date.

“12th August 2011”

Which meant they, whoever they were, died just seven years ago.

The girl started crying and talking in a different language Kasper didn’t know. He sat by her side and saw the girl put the flowers in front of the grave. She kept crying, silently.

Kasper instantly felt the urge to console her and hug her, so he did.

She didn’t hug him back at first, but ended up in his arms, crying silently. Kasper stroked her hair.

-That’s why I’m always alone. And that’s also why I’m so shy. And that’s also why I left Rotterdam when I reached the age of majority.

Those were her parents.

She cried, once again.

-Didn’t want you to see me like this -she hid her face.

-Hey -the boy said, taking her by the chin-, it’s okay to cry. I’m here. I’m here with you.

Suddenly, she stopped crying.

-I was thirteen -she said-. Dad and mom were celebrating their anniversary and I stayed home alone that night. When I woke up they weren’t there and I received a call from the hospital. The police took me there and…

-You don’t have to tell me if you don’t feel comfortable -he said and she smiled.

-It’s fine. They told me dad had fainted while he was driving and they had had a car crash. It didn’t involve anyone else, gladly.

She wasn’t crying anymore.

-I’ve lived with a family-in-law ever since. I don’t live with them anymore, but we keep in touch. They visit me quite often.

Kasper didn’t say anything. He was still hugging her.

-Sorry -she apologized.

-It’s okay -he said-. You’re really brave. I didn’t know anything about it.

She smiled, in a kind way.

-It’s okay, Kasper. I only come here once every six months to get them some flowers and talk to them for a while. It’s fine.

Kasper nodded and they stayed like that for a while. He had finally find peace. He was feeling strangely fine and the girl seemed to be fine, too.

-So, blond boy, wanna see the shooting stars rain?

-Sure.

~

Eyrian drove till they reached the top of a hill that was completely alone. It felt like she already knew that hill. Probably she knew it.

They had some sweets and snacks with them and they were sit in the car’s hood, having fun while having dinner.

-You are scared of rollercoasters? -she laughed-. No way!

-Shut up! -he said-. They’re super scary.

-Whatever -he rolled his eyes-, coward.

He started tickling her belly and she laughed out loud.

-Stop! You’re super strong -she said-. I don’t like rollercoasters either. I’d rather be a _feyenoorder_.

-I knew it!

He stared at her lips.

She kept looking at the sky with those big blue eyes. When she noticed Kasper’s sight was on her she looked him in the eyes.

And the shooting stars rain started.

-It’s so beautiful -she said. She seemed to be super happy.

Kasper was happy too. And comfortable. And enjoying the shooting stars rain a lot.

-What did you mean, the other day, by “actually, I was”? -he asked.

-Huh? Oh, you mean the note I left at Rasmus’ car. It meant I was flirting with you.

Kasper stared at her. Was she serious? Well, she was quite honest all the time, so he could assume it was true. Her cheeks were red.

So were his.

-Eyrian, about what you said before…-she shaked her head.

-It’s fine -she said-. It’s forgotten. You don’t have to think about that anymore.

-I’m just glad you told me. Thank you. I’m with you.

-That means a lot -she stared at the sky-. Maybe I don’t have to be alone anymore.

-You know what? -Kasper said after a minute-. If you wish upon a star with your eyes wide shut, your wish comes true.

-Really? -she faked a smile-. That sounds like something that would happen on a fairytale.

-So you don’t wanna try?

She closed her eyes and Kasper got closer.

_And closer_.

-Have you already closed your eyes wide shut? -he asked. He was just centimeters away from her.

-Of course I…

And his lips were now on hers, kissing her softly.

She intensified the kiss a little, but she separated from him after a moment.

-I’ve longed this for a long time -she confessed.

-So have I -he hugged her.

-Maybe you don’t have to be lonely anymore.

-Maybe you don’t have to be lonely anymore, either.

_Let’s be lonely together._


End file.
